Animal Adoption
About the Project
Animal Informatics Ph.D. student Megan McNames is laser-focused on using a variety of research methods to support animals in need of homes and the organizations trying to help them. The first installment of our work is “Putting Their Best Paw Forward: How Profile Content Accelerates Peer-to-Peer Dog Rehoming”, currently under review. Here, we enlisted the help of co-authors Emma Wilson (MS Animal Informatics, Emma Nelson (PhD Biological Anthropology), Himani Gulati (MS Data Science) and Patrick Shih to look closely at peer-to-peer pet rehoming platforms. These platforms have emerged as a popular alternative to shelter-based placement, enabling owners to find new homes for their pets directly without institutional intermediaries. Despite their scale and reach, little is known about what profile factors drive rehoming speed on these platforms. We analyzed 38,694 dog profiles posted on Rehome by Adopt a Pet, a U.S.-based peer-to-peer rehoming platform, to investigate the role of profile features and pet stories on rehoming speed. Our is the first large data study that offers an independent evaluation of the impact of free-form pet stories on rehoming speed. Using a combination of competing risks survival analysis (Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard model) and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 22 approach, we model speed of rehoming as a function of dogs’ appearance, categorical profile features, and linguistic features of owner-written pet stories. Results indicate that similarly to shelter and rescue contexts, dog appearance dominates peer-to-peer rehoming speed. Compatibility disclosures about dogs’ suitability with children, cats, and other dogs significantly accelerate rehoming speed, while the use of risk-oriented language (e.g. safe, protect, alert) in owner-written stories slows it. We interpret these findings within a sociotechnical systems framework, arguing that the Rehome platform mediates how "rehome-ability" is constructed and communicated, and that profile story text includes subtle signals of a given dog’s "rehome-ability." We conclude with profile-related recommendations for dog owners and shelter and rescue programs that encourage or require self-rehoming attempts prior to surrender.
Publications
“Putting Their Best Paw Forward: How Profile Content Accelerates Peer-to-Peer Dog Rehoming” is currently under review. Check back soon!
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Department of Informatics at Indiana University, Bloomington for its support.